Blue-Eyed Devil | T. Shelby Imagines

➥ Cornflower Blue (Part 1)

Word Count: ~ 1,440
Warnings: Cursing?
SUMMARY: You met him on a bad day and left him on a good one.

⎯⎯

Being dead made life easier. Nobody glanced your way or even noticed you. Or so you thought. The day you met Thomas Shelby was a terrible day. It seemed as though the world was conditioning you for the storm that was Thomas Shelby. He captivated you in a way no man ever did before.

His cornflower eyes noticed you first, but the weight they held made you look up from across the crowded pub. Already that day you'd been fired from your job as a cashier and that wasn't even the start of the bullshit you'd have to deal with. The way he held himself told you more than he ever would.

You refused to look away first and Thomas seemed to understand that, so there you stood... in a staring match with the Thomas Shelby. You didn't know who it was at first, but he made sure you would know later.

That night in The Garrison proved your worst fear, you weren't truly dead. Because your heart skipped a beat when Thomas tipped his glass toward you and finally glanced away. And when he smirked at you later that night you couldn't help the smile that graced your pretty face. And realizing you weren't dead, despite having a metaphorical noose tied tightly around your neck, was horrifying.

⎯⎯

Thomas Shelby had absolutely no clue who you were and it made him angry. How did he miss such a beauty? When you entered the pub, Tommy was instantly drawn to you. Maybe it was his intuition that said to hold your eyes... or maybe his cock. He couldn't tell and he honestly didn't care which it was.

All he wanted to know was who you were... and when you came to Birmingham. It wasn't every day Tommy saw someone he didn't recognize, not many people come to Small Heath on their own volition. And you didn't seem to be the kind of woman to come to smoggy Small Heath for fun.

If he was being honest, you seemed to be a ghost... just observing the drunken men and seeing which of them to whisk off to hell or heaven. And Thomas Shelby couldn't help but wish you'd take him to hell with you. Even if he had no idea who you were and where you were from... your eyes alone drew him in close enough to kill him.

Throughout the entire night, he found himself staring at you. Not in a prying or weird way... just respectfully observing how you moved. It was strange, he knew it... a woman alone at a pub frequented by those tormented from the war. But you seemed to fit in quite well, at one point Tommy watched you fend off two men.

They had gotten far too close for his liking and just as he was going to get up and do something, the men suddenly walked away... as though they were in a trance. That is when Thomas Shelby knew he had to figure out who you were.

⎯⎯

You disappeared from the streets of Small Heath just as you came, knowing it was time to move on before they found you. It was infuriating for Thomas Shelby, on the other hand. He had spent the next week or so asking around about you. But for some reason, everyone gave him crazy looks as though he was describing a dream he had.

London treated you well... or as well as any other place did. You worked as a librarian, stocking shelves and offering advice to those of all ages. It had been nearly a year since you were last in Small Heath... and so, nearly a year since you'd seen cornflower blue eyes. But there he was. Speaking to Ada, another librarian, and your friend.

She helped you out when you were late on rent and often gave you tips on the best method for getting people to borrow books and to sign up for a library card. It was a simple life, but now that the blue-eyed devil appeared out of nowhere, you knew something was up.

When you were heading for the back of the library, you heard a low, rough voice call out to you. "Miss?" You'd never heard him speak before so how'd you know it was him? You turned around and watched as he looked you up and down slowly. Wherever his eyes went, your skin burned beneath your clothes.

"Do you need help with anything?" Thomas closed his eyes when you spoke, as though he was relishing in the sound of your voice.

He met your eyes once again and it felt like the air around you was suddenly electrified. "Your name? What is it?"

The fact that all he wanted was your name was odd... and you decided no. "Why's it matter? I don't know yours."

"Because I've been looking for you since that night, but you... vanished... like a bloody ghost or something."

⎯⎯

Being called a ghost was nothing new... it's how you lived, or rather survived. Ada once told you that her brother would like you, never mentioned which one. But perhaps you could have lived a domestic life in another one, one where you weren't being hunted down.

And that's how you found yourself in New York. Further from the blue-eyed devil and far far away from the enemy. The puzzle pieces were coming together though, you soon learned the man in the library was the very brother she said would like you.

"Thomas Michael Shelby, or as I like to call him, a fucking prick who needs a good woman to teach him how to act right. And I think you'd do just fine,"

The next piece of information you learned was that your new, young employer was the cousin of Ada and Thomas. Michael Gray, a little fuck who couldn't keep his hands off of the snow. You became his secretary and helped him with virtually anything, especially getting sober.

"You know, you remind me an awful lot of my mum... she would fawn over me like I was a bloody newborn, but you? I don't mind the attention,"

Michael often made you roll your eyes at his blatant flirting. Other than the drugs and alcohol, he seemed like a good enough kid... that's until he didn't listen to your warnings. You told him not to trust the bankers, that the stock market wasn't holding up... but he didn't fucking listen and lost practically it all.

⎯⎯

You found yourself back where you started, The Garrison. It was much prettier than before, gold everywhere with new... everything. You felt the same, working for Mr. Gray proved to be a rather well paying job. No longer were you dressed in muted tones, greys, browns, blacks... you stood out in the deep lavender colored suit.

Dresses did not suit your life nor taste anymore. It was much easier to run around like a headless chicken for the forgetful Michael Gray if you were in pants. You felt strong and when Thomas Shelby saw you, his eyes just about fell out of his face. That made a smirk grow on your red lips as you merely glanced at him.

Thomas hadn't changed that much, his hair was cut much harsher than before and he looked painfully tired. You and Michael pitched a better business proposal that kept Tommy in charge. Convincing Michael to drop his plot to take over was a long and hard battle that you were surprised you won.

Afterwards, Thomas stopped you before you could leave, you were the last one left so it was just you and him. Staring at one another once again, only this time you weren't separated... but much closer. "Why are you here?"

"I work for Mr. Gray," You stated simply.

Tom's jaw twitched, "Why are you here?"

"For," You leaned in close to Tom, clearly invading his personal space, "work." His grip on your forearm was tight but you refused to show any emotion, if he was going to be a prick then you wouldn't play nice.

His eyes looked much prettier up close and you felt the urge to stare into them but you forced yourself to look at the space between his eyebrows, "What's your name?"

A dry chuckle left your lips as you used his distraction to pull your arm from his hand, "I can't believe you're still asking the wrong questions, Mr. Shelby." And with that, you were gone like a passing breeze. Slipping through Thomas Shelby's hands like the sand at Margate...

That was the last time you saw that shade of cornflower blue.